Dream World
by let-the-rain-fall-down
Summary: <html><head></head>Degrassi's finest have been selected to star in a new reality show, Dream World. Even though the show sounds like the perfect getaway, could hidden secrets and new-found loves ruin it all?</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I want to start a new story, because Maybe This Time is getting a little difficult, and I think this has a lot of potential. For those of you who have read my other stuff, I will not be continuing on in Please Don't Leave Me. I didn't really feel like a lot of people liked it, and I don't know what else I can do with it. But on a lighter note, I'm really excited to write this!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or its characters. I do, however, own **_**Dream World**_**.**

The producers surrounded a giant table that held dozens of pictures that were scattered all over the place, overlapping in every which way. Three women and two men sat down on chairs while one man was pacing the room. The room was silent, aside from the occasional shuffle of pictures being moved around and the sighs emitting themselves from the pacer's lips.

"We need to decide, Martha," He said sternly, glaring at a woman with long, brown hair who looked like she was in her upper-twenties. She bit her lip and gave a slight nod before diving back into the pile of pictures. The workers were frantically trying to find the perfect selection.

"This show is supposed to save our studio. Do any of you understand what that means? If we do not pick the best cast Canada has ever seen, we are done for. Consider your selves living on the streets and eating out of garbage cans!" The man was getting even more frustrated with each word he uttered.

Finally, a man no older than twenty-five held up a few pictures. "Josh, I think I have it!" He yelled enthusiastically. Everyone stopped what they were doing the instant he opened his mouth. Josh, who was almost about to burst with anxiety, rushed over to the young man.

"Let's hear it, Smith!" He barked in his husky voice. Smith only nodded and gulped. He cleared the pile of photos off to the side and placed two down in a straight line, his hands shaking slightly.

Smith cleared his voice and then began. "This here is Clare Edwards. Her video showed that she was innocent and pure, complete with a purity ring and all. She has been going to church all her life. She has never done drugs or alcohol. She is the perfect example of a goody-goody. Now, put her with a few others that I've picked, this will make for good television," He started to get more excited as he continued. Josh just crossed his arms and set his mouth in a fine line.

Smith pointed to the photo next to the beautifully innocent girl. "This is the start of our interesting plot line. Meet Alli Bhandari. She is the ultimate party go-er. She's pretty much the class slut, but she has a decent mind about her. Alli and Clare would click instantly, because they have relatively similar interests. But because of this wild child, Clare could possibly be subject to pressure, making her give in on her good girl act. Viewers like when people are in distress; imagine what would happen if Clare woke up from a night of hardcore partying. Who knows what could happen," Smith concluded, with a slight smirk creeping up on his face.

Josh opened his mouth. "I like this idea. But there's a problem. If they become friends, Alli might not be so much of an influence on her. If anything, Clare could whip out her bible and convert Alli," He reasoned. The other producers looked at Smith with a look of worry on their faces. But Smith kept calm. He actually smiled a little wider.

"I see your point, sir, but that is where these two come in," He said, placing two more photos down next to the girls. They were both boys, one being tan and muscular, the other pale and lanky with a dark side. He pointed to the first boy. "This is Drew. He's a freshman in college, one year older than the other girls. He is the same as Alli; partier, man-whore, but with a relatively stable moral compass. With his help, he and Alli could easily persuade Clare to a night of havoc. Plus he's strong and athletic, practically the dream guy. There has to be one super stud on each reality show, Josh. This is our guy," He looked up at Josh with a determined glint in his eye.

"What about the goth guy?" Josh asked. His arms slowly unfolded and he seemed to relax more. He placed his hands firmly on the pinewood table, his pinky finger inches from the picture of the dark-headed boy glaring at the camera.

"Well, he, uh," Smith stumbled over his own words. Josh and the other producers raised their eyebrows at him. "He didn't technically apply…" Smith's sentence dangled in the air. He shrunk back, expecting Josh to fire him for wasting his time.

Instead, Josh smiled. He slipped his hand under the shiny picture and lifted it up. "A surprise application, huh?" He mused. "What's his problem; clingy girlfriend he needs to get away from? High school drop out?" He asked. Smith shook his head.

"His girlfriend got in a car accident a year ago and…died. His parents sent in an application, hoping that he would actually be chosen and be forced to socialize. Apparently he hasn't been holding up too well on his own," Smith said with a sad look upon his face. "His name is Eli," He added. One of the women sitting down sniffed, but Martha looked angry.

"We can't do that to the poor boy! What if someone pried that out of him on camera! The whole world would know! That is too horrible. No," She said firmly.

"Martha, we edit the shows. We can just cut it out of the taping," Josh assured her. He was lying through his teeth and Smith knew it. The women bought it though, and slunk back into their chairs. Josh would do anything for amazing ratings. This storyline could be just what they needed.

"Smith, this is good. Really good. Sarah," Josh said, pointing to the women with blond hair on the left of Martha, "go start the phone calls. Smith, Martha, Jessie, and I will pick the final four." Emma nodded and scurried out of the room, her cell phone already in hand.

"Why four?" Jessie, the brunette next to Martha asked. "Aren't having eight people in one house a bit…hectic?" She asked Josh. He grinned.

"Hectic is good, my dear. We need to get under their skin. Plus, there will be surprises later," He wiggled his eyebrows. The other four people in the room turned to Josh, questions being formed already. Josh just waved them off and reached into the picture pile. He slid one out from the group.

"Dave Turner," He said. The boy was grinning in the picture, and he looked so innocent. "Could he possibly be the love interest for our dear Clare? How was his video?" He turned to Smith.

"His dad is a police officer. He's a good kid. He would suit Clare nicely," Smith nodded. Josh placed the photo next to Eli's. "He's good looking, too. We could switch some things up, make his storyline a bit more interesting," Smith continued. Josh pursed his lips and slowly nodded.

"He isn't the most interesting one we have, but I think we could make a very intriguing romance between Dave and Clare." Josh said, scanning the pile of pictures. Three more…

"How about this one, Josh!" Jessie squeaked. She held up a picture of a beautiful blonde teenage girl. She was sitting on a park bench, guitar in hand. Her smile revealed sparkly, pearly teeth.

Smith nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah! Jenna's a cheerleader and one hell of a singer. She's the popular girl in school, and she's said to be a 'man stealer'. That could be interesting, right, Josh?" He looked at Josh expectantly, who smiled.

"Yes. Add Miss Jenna to the others. She could stir up a lot of drama here. Now, we need two more. Any other potentially interesting kids in the admission videos, Martha?" Martha pursued her lips and shuffled through the pictures. She had an idea, and she thought it could work nicely.

"Adam Torres," She said, holding up a picture of a pale boy grinning at the camera. He had a beanie on his head and had his arm draped around a tall, tan, muscular boy.

"Is that-?" Josh asked, confused.

"Yes. He is the brother of one of the contestants, Drew. A sibling rivalry could spark a few hits!" Martha said, excited. Josh sat down and rested his head in his hands.

"Martha. Our show is about to be cut. We cannot afford to play safe with family relationships. It's boring and the characters will be too comfortable with each other," He said so firmly, he may as well have yelled it for the same effect.

Martha gripped the photo fiercely. "You haven't even let me get to the dramatic part, yet," She said venomously. Smith, Josh, and Jessie looked expectantly at her. She took a deep breath. "Adam is a transgender. He's an FTM, female-to-male. I was uncomfortable with this choice at first, but he said on his application that he is very good at hiding this. He knows what he's doing," Martha stated. Josh picked up the picture and stared at it. Now, he could somewhat easily pick out the feminine details of this boy, yet he got a strange feeling that he was, most certainly, a guy.

"Add him. He could attract a whole new audience! Few reality shows have characters quite like this," He mused. For the final choice, Josh reached into the pile. He came across two photos of equally beautiful girls. He laid them on the table, slightly overlapping. The producers leaned closer to the table, trying to get a better look at the two possible stars.

Smith cleared his throat. Being as he had watched every single video-application for _Dream World_, he knew practically everyone's name and life story. "The one on the left is Fiona Coyne. She is extraordinarily rich. She goes to a private school in New York. She has a twin brother. She was also recently released from rehab for alcoholism. The girl on the right of Fiona is Bianca DeSousa. She's a badass and doesn't necessarily come from the nicest family. She hangs out with the wrong crowd and lives off of drugs. Both of the girls are contenders, as each would make a solid benefit to this dramatic cast," Smith rambled. His colleagues looked at each other and then back to the smiling girls. They couldn't decide which girl to choose.

"I choose Fiona," Jessie said softly. She placed her finger on the corner of Fiona's picture and dragged it slightly towards her body. "A rich, spoiled brat is exactly what we need. Plus, she's a recently recovered alcoholic. She could have a relapse on the show." She said defiantly.

"I disagree," said Martha. "Some of these kids are under age. Most of them are nineteen, but Clare, Alli, Dave, and Adam are eighteen. If Fiona starts drinking heavily, they could too. We don't need a lawsuit on our hands. Plus, we already have a few heavy partiers. We don't need any more."

Jessie pinned her eyebrows together. "Bianca does drugs! She could easily influence the others as well! And most of the drugs aren't even legal to anyone!" She exclaimed. Martha deflated and leaned back in her chair, running her hand through her chestnut-colored hair that fell down her back.

Josh stood up and grabbed the final picture. "This is our girl. She may have problems that could influence our cast, but that's what makes it interesting. They have to sign contracts, remember. If they are in breach of it, they have to be kicked off of the show. This girl will bring in the interest if she keeps getting scarily close to blowing off her contract." He scooped up the pictures of the new cast and held them in his hands.

"_Dream World_ is supposed to save us, guys. Hopefully, we picked the right cast," With that, Josh walked out of the room, leaving the other three to clean up the reject pictures that were now scattered all over the floor.

As Smith was picking up the last of the photos, he felt his heart grow heavy. He knew that this cast could save his career, but he couldn't help but feel that they had all set the kids up for failure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Clare**

I dumped my backpack on the floor, hearing a stomach-churning _thump_ as it hit the ground. I groaned and flopped onto my bed, thinking of all the homework that I had to do tonight. Being a senior in high school sucked; I felt like I could never get a break. It was always studying, yearbook club, studying, debate club, studying, studying, studying. I felt like I was losing my grip on everything.

My mom expects me to be valedictorian of my graduating class this year. Actually, no. She is practically forcing me to win the slot. I needed a break, but I can't stand up to her. I actually wanted a social life. This was my last year in high school; I wanted it to be memorable.

I rolled over and gripped my face with my hands. I slid them up to the roots of my hair and interlocked my fingers, pushing hard on my head. I was done with this stress. I stared blankly at the ceiling, counting the seconds that would go by before I had to eventually face my homework. When I reached 204, my mom interrupted me by calling my name up the stairs.

"Clare! Come down here right now!" _Shit_, I muttered. What did I do now? I slowly pushed myself up and sat on the edge of my bed. I rubbed my cheeks and stood up, trying to make myself look bubbly and energetic, just the way she liked me. I smiled at myself in the mirror as I passed by. My own reflection gave me a strained smile back. I stopped to look at myself.

My auburn-colored hair hung limply down my face. I flipped over and shook my hair out, hoping to get the bouncy curls back. Standing up straight again, I saw that I was partly-successful. My hair now pointed in all different directions, but it looked pretty. My blue eyes were sparkling with energy. If you looked close enough though, you could see a little light in the back of them dim. You could tell they were tired from endless nights spent rolling around in bed, unable to sleep. On the other hand, my pale skin glistened. It was one of the few things that never seemed to dull.

I tried another smile, and this one came out a little better. The Clare in the mirror was beautiful, but I knew she was hiding something. I knew that she was coming to a close.

"CLARE!" My mother yelled again. I jumped a little and ran out of my room. I jogged downstairs and rounded the corner to see my mother in the living room, our house phone close by. I gulped and stepped closer, wondering if the school had called for some reason. I was always the one to assume the worst out of things. It probably wasn't even bad. I was just overreacting.

My mom patted a spot on the couch across from her. My mom hated me sitting next to her. She seemed to take a professional route with me; trying to abandon any type of family-like actions towards me. I sighed and stepped over to the couch, sitting down properly when I reached my destination. I knew better than to act like a teenager around my mother.

"Clare Edwards. Would you like to tell me something?" She asked me icily. A wave of fear shook my core. No kid ever wants to hear those words. I glanced at my feet and quickly looked back up, knowing how mad she would be if I didn't make eye contact.

"No, ma'am." I stated. She gripped the phone tightly.

"Do not lie to me, Clare." She muttered through her teeth. I never understood why she got so easily worked up over things, but I never had the courage to ask.

"I honestly have no clue what you are talking about," I said, shaking my legs a little bit in anticipation of where this conversation was going.

"Why then," She began, "Did a 'Sarah Murphy' from some reality television network call us, informing me that you are invited to participate in a new show they are going to air, called _Dream World_?" She asked.

At first, I grinned. I never expected the producers to accept me! I spent so much time on my application video, making sure everything I said was immaculate, making sure that I looked stunning, and, most importantly, making sure my mother had no clue that I was applying. I blanched, and turned to her.

"I, uh, sent in an application a while ago," I mumbled.

"Speak up, dear. We do not mumble in this house," She cracked down on me. I nodded.

"I sent in an application a few months ago," I stated, much more clearly this time.

"Why would you do that? Are you an imbecile? What makes you think that you will be able to participate in some pointless show during this most imperative time in your life? " My mother grew more intense with each word. I was starting to get angry with her.

"Mom!" She opened her mouth, but I cut her off. "Yes, I called you 'mom'! I'm so sick of this stupid lifestyle that you've made for me! I don't want to be perfect anymore. I don't want to have to lock myself in my room all day and night, studying for a test I already know everything for! This is my senior year, mom. I want to have _fun_. I want to have friends. I want to feel important. I can't do all that by staying around here all the time!" I yelled at her. She seemed stunned by my outburst. I was not one to yell.

"Clare. You cannot do this show! It will be a waste of time and a waste of all this effort that you have put into this year!" She cried, strained. I slowly sat back down, thinking that it would be smarter if I tried to reason with her instead of yelling.

"Mother. I'm still allowed to go to school while I'm on the show. I just want a new experience. Imagine all of the things I can learn about filmography and college life," I said to her. I wanted desperately to grab her hands, but I knew she'd freak out at my touch.

"A silly reality show will not teach you anything. I forbid you to go," she said sternly. I jumped to my feet, anger flushing my face.

"I don't care what you think, mom! These people think I'm important, unlike you! I'm eighteen, now, anyways. I can be part of the cast without your consent. Don't you dare try to stop me," I spat out. With that, I stormed out of the room and back up the stairs. In the background, I could hear the soft and shallow sounds of my mother crying.

...

**Eli**

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Smoke filled the room, blocking my clear vision. I sighed and rolled over to stare at the one true thing in my life.

"Julia. What have you done? Why did you do this to me? Why did you _leave_ me? I must not have been good enough for you. I didn't deserve you. And I went out and ruined it all. I killed you," I whispered intently. The shiny picture frame that I was talking to held a small picture of the only person I ever truly loved. Julia's deep brown eyes stared up at me.

"I bet you hate me. I bet you hate me as much as I hate myself. But I've tried to fix it, Jules, look!" I rolled up the sleeves of my black hoodie to reveal pale arms smothered in scars. "I know, it's not enough to be with you right now, but I'm too scared to leave. I'm too scared to die," I choked on the last word.

I felt like an asshole. I could kill Julia, yet I couldn't even kill myself. How was that fair? _It wasn't._ I pulled the sleeves back down and grabbed the pillow nearest to me. I held it in my hands and stared at it. My fingers ran over the fabric, wondering how many times Julia had laid her own head on it. I took a deep breath and let it all out. As soon as the air was gone, I shoved my face into the pillow. I sat there like that, my head smashed in a fluffy, square pillow, for about thirty seconds. _Air. I need it. I can't do this. I'm so sorry, Julia_, I thought. I sat back up in a rush, my head spinning. I was gasping for air, feeling wonderful as it slid down into my lungs.

Resigned, I flopped back down on my bed, staring at the ceiling again. The smoke was starting to sting my eyes and throat, so I gradually got to my feet. I kicked the pack of cigarettes against the wall and left my room. I jogged down the stairs, running my hand through my lengthy, black hair. I needed to cut it, but I refused to. I was not one for change.

I stepped into the kitchen hesitantly. My parents were standing close together and speaking in hushed whispers. I didn't bother to walk away and leave them alone, so I just barged right in and opened the fridge as loudly as I could.

"Baby boy!" My mom exclaimed. "I'm glad you came down here, your father and I want to talk to you about something," She said. I stood up stiffly, a green apple in hand. CeCe and Bullfrog exchanged a look.

"What, sending me away to boot camp? There's a new rehab center down the street? Spit it out," I said venomously.

Bullfrog came over and placed a large hand on my shoulder, while CeCe gripped the table hard, smiling innocently at me. "Well," She began. "There's this new television show, _Dream World_. Have you heard about it?" I shook my head slowly and squinted my eyes. I had no clue where she was going with this. She cleared her throat. "It's a reality show for kids your age," I scoffed when she said 'kids'. I had recently graduated from high school; I was definitely not a kid.

"Anyways, Bullfrog and I spoke to the director today. And…" She looked at my father, who gave her an encouraging nod. "They want you to be one of the cast members on the show!" She squealed excitedly.

I stood there, a blank look on my face. I raised the apple to my mouth and bit into it. The tanginess of the fruit sat on my tongue, calming me down. I chewed and swallowed, drawing out my parents' anticipation as much as I possibly could. "Funny joke," I said, no emotion in my voice whatsoever. I walked out of the kitchen and started to climb the staircase back up to my smoky, dark room. I felt a hand grab my arm, but I shook it off. I turned around slowly, expecting to see my mother standing there, upset.

Instead, it was Bullfrog. The look of concern in my eyes killed me. "Son. Please. Your mother has been trying so hard to let you be alone. She can only do so much, Eli. Just do this for her. She wants you to see the world. Hell, I want you to see the world. I want you to get out there and make something of yourself. And if it has to start with some silly television show, so be it." He finished his rushed speech and stood there awkwardly. That was probably the most anyone has said to me in ages.

I took a step back down the staircase, giving him a calculating look. CeCe stood in the corner of the room, wringing her hands, watching us like a hawk. I couldn't keep doing this to her. I couldn't keep shutting her out. Eventually, I'd lose her too.

"Julia would want this for you, baby boy," My mom spoke quietly from the corner.

I stood still, shock nailing me in place on the stairs. No-one had spoken her name to me since the night she left me. The police tried to, but I flipped out on them and smashed everything that was next to me. I felt that people were causing her disrespect by using her name. They didn't even _know_ Julia, yet they were allowed to use her name?

This time, though, something changed. CeCe used her name with such care and love, that I couldn't yell at her. I couldn't scream. I just mumbled one word. "Okay."

They both smiled, happy that I would finally oblige to doing something. I gave them more of a grimace in return, but I think they understood the true meaning. I turned and walked back up to my room, shutting the door carefully behind me for once, instead of slamming it.

I sat on the edge of my bed and picked up Julia's picture. I stared at it for the millionth time. Only this time, it wasn't out of regret or sorrow. It was out of hope.

"Jules. I'm going to go out there. Out in the world. I need to give everyone their peace. I don't like this, but I have to leave some day. It's just a stupid show anyways, how can it hurt?"

I felt so stupid, thinking that a television show could fix me. It wasn't even one of those shows that helped the fucked up people. It was one where a bunch of teenagers lived together and didn't do anything. There was no point in participating in it. But, for some reason, I wanted to do it.

For some reason, I wanted to try.


	3. Chapter 3

Josh stood there stiffly while the camera crew applied foundation to his face. He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new cast. He knew that if he screwed up being a host, he was done for.

"Okay, Josh, you're done," The make-up artist, Sylvia, announced. Josh nodded and took a step backwards, straightening his shirt. He ran his hands through his hair, messing up the style that Sylvia had just completed. She clucked her tongue in disappointment and walked away.

Josh walked over to the front of the "house" and sat on a couch, drumming his fingers along the armrest. The cast was scheduled to arrive at any minute, and he needed to be there to explain the rules and introduce the producers. He was starting to second guess every executive decision he had made thus far. He wasn't sure that the cast he picked was intriguing enough, or if there was enough food in the fridge to amaze them, or if the rooms were too large, or even if the very couch he was sitting on would look good on the camera.

The front door opened, stopping Josh's ridiculous inner-monologue. The entire crew stopped what they were doing and turned towards the door, wondering who the first cast member to arrive was. A head popped through the door, followed by a small body trying desperately to fit two suitcases through the front door. Josh jumped up and held the door open for the girl. She gave him a genuine smile and, with one final yank, pulled her bags through the opening.

"Hi, I'm Clare. Am I too early? The lady on the phone told me to come at 12 o'clock, but I like to be early to everything, so I came fifteen minutes too early," She said. She glanced around and waved at all of the crew. Most of them gave her distracted waves and got back to what they were doing, but a few smiled and greeted her properly. "If you aren't ready for me, I can leave and come back at twelve. It's no problem, really. I saw a Starbucks on the way here, I can go sit there and—" Josh held up his hand and chuckled at how nervous she was.

"It's fine, Clare. Why don't you go find a room to put your stuff in and then come back out here, okay?" She nodded and began walking into the hallway. Martha went to go help her find her way, but Josh gave her a warning look.

"Let her pick which room she wants. It could add to some conflict later on," He said. Martha rolled her eyes.

"Why must everything in this show come to conflicts? We don't want to torture the poor kids!" She said, waving her hands in exasperation.

"I don't want to torture them! Martha, we _need_ the ratings. Just let her go. She can find her way," Josh smiled. Martha huffed and walked away, not wanting to argue anymore. Josh reclined back on the couch, suddenly much more relaxed. He felt the power and control take over as soon as Clare stepped through the door, and he welcomed the feelings.

After ten minutes, Clare came back into the front room. Her face had a look of awe upon it as she sat down across from Josh. "They don't call this _Dream World_, for nothing, huh? Everything is so perfect! This house is amazing! There were even water beds!" She gave Josh a huge smile, who returned it with a slightly smaller one.

"Well Clare, since you're the first one here, do you have any personal questions that you wanted to ask me? I'll be covering the main stuff when everyone else gets here, but just in case you had any other ones…" Josh trailed off, allowing her to ask what she wanted. Instead, Clare shook her head. Josh smiled again. "Well, okay then! That makes things easier. I'm Josh, by the way. I'm the host of this show. You won't see me often, but I'll be the one making the edits and organizing everything." Clare nodded and glanced away, biting her lip.

"Clare, don't be nervous. You're perfectly safe here, and a bunch of people your age are about to come through that door," Josh comforted her, pointing at the door. At that very moment, it opened, revealing two others. "Ahh, speak of the devil!" Josh smiled and got up. Clare stood too, awkwardly smoothing out her shirt.

"See, Drew? We weren't the first ones here. You need to chill out," One of the newcomers said to the other. Drew lifted his arm and punched the smaller boy in the arm. The boy just smiled and let out a laugh as he walked into the front room. He eyed Clare and smiled at her and she returned the gesture. He stuck out his hand to her.

"Hi, I'm Adam," He said. Clare shook his hand, noticing how small and fragile it was. "This is my obnoxious brother, Drew," he added. Drew hit the back of Adam's head.

"Hey, I can introduce myself, thank you very much," He smiled at Clare, who smiled back. She looked at the two boys closely and couldn't believe that they were brothers.

Drew's hair was short and spiked up in the front. His tan, muscular arms poked out from a tee-shirt supporting a basketball team. He wore faded jeans and white sneakers. His smile was large and revealed two rows of perfect teeth. Clare instantly classified him as the hot player- type, but she could be wrong.

Adam, however, was noticeably smaller and paler. His brown hair was relatively long and was tucked into a gray beanie. His blue eyes were really big and stood out from his pale face. He was lanky and thin and sported a gray sweatshirt over a black tee shirt. He looked super friendly, the type of guy that Clare could easily spend hours talking to.

Josh sidled up next to the boys. "Getting to know each other already? Good. I'm going to have to cut it short though by making you two," he pointed to Drew and Adam, "find a bedroom to put your bags in. Cars are starting to pull up, so more of the cast are arriving," He said excitedly. Drew and Adam looked at each other and picked up their bags.

"I call the biggest bed!" Drew called and took off running. Adam laughed lightly and chased after him, calling after him.

"You cannot outrun the famous, Adam Torres! You wish, jellyfish!" Clare heard Adam yell from the hallways. She laughed to herself, but her throat felt dry. Watching Adam and Drew was making her homesick already. She missed her older sister, Darcy, who moved to Kenya about a year ago to get away from everything. Clare secretly wished that Darcy would come back and bring Clare to Kenya with her, but that never happened.

Clare's eyes started prickling, but she knew that she had to keep it together. She straightened up and plastered her well-known smile on her face. She would act like miss perfect if it killed her. The door opened again, so Clare walked over to greet the newcomer.

A tiny Indian girl with huge brown eyes smiled up at Clare. "Hi, I'm Alli. Do you mind giving me a hand, I have way too much stuff to carry on my own," She groaned, trying to lift two heavy bags through the door. Clare stood there for a second, shocked, but instantly grabbed the two other bags that were sitting outside next to the stairs. Clare suddenly felt nervous. Alli had brought four huge suitcases, while she had only brought two. What if she under packed? What if Alli thought she was a total loser who had no possessions?

Clare mentally smacked herself. Why should she care what Alli thought? She hoisted up the bags and climbed the steps into the gigantic house. Alli was standing in Clare's previous spot, looking around anxiously. "What are we supposed to do now?" she asked Clare. Clare smiled.

"Here, let's go find you a room. I'm Clare, by the way." She led the way down the hallway, occasionally peeking into the other rooms that she hadn't seen yet.

"Woah," Alli mused from behind. "This place is fantastic! Look, there's a pool and a hot tub! There's even a mini workout room! Oh my gosh, is that an in-house cinema?" She placed her bags down and walked into the room, turning the light on. Clare followed her and gasped in amazement.

There was a huge movie screen that took up a whole wall. There were about twenty theater-style chairs aligned in rows. A candy bar lined one of the walls and a popcorn stall sat next to it. The girls turned to each other in awe.  
>"This place is a dream come true!" Alli squealed. "Hey, do you mind if I room with you?" She suddenly asked Clare. Her face was so innocent, Clare absolutely could not say no.<p>

"Sure, why not? There's two girl rooms and two guy rooms, though I'm pretty sure they won't really care where we sleep," Clare said. She was referring to the producers when she said 'they', but Alli caught on.

"Thanks, Clare. I'm not the type to have girlfriends, so I wasn't sure how I would cope in this house. But you're really nice, and completely gorgeous, so I'm glad you're here," Alli confided in Clare. Clare felt so elated by Alli's words that she grinned warmly and picked up Alli's bags. They ventured their way through the house and eventually got to Clare's room. There was one bed next to Clare's, so Alli dumped all her stuff on it.

"I hear some more voices, so let's go back out there," Clare told Alli. They nodded and began to walk back to the room with all of the crew.

"Are you and I the only ones here yet?" Alli asked. Clare shook her head.

"No, these two boys, Drew and Adam, came right before you," Alli nodded.

"Are any of them hot?" She grinned devilishly. Clare laughed.

"Drew is pretty easy on the eyes, I guess," Clare stated. Alli nodded, getting excited to meet the others.

While they were gone, three others had appeared in the main room. Two girls and a boy now stood next to Josh. They arrived at the same time, though neither knew each other. Josh had helped them out of their cabs, excited that almost all of the cast were finally under the same roof.

First came Jenna, the preppy blonde. She carried two heavy suitcases, so Josh had to grab her guitar case. "You play?" He had asked. She smiled and nodded, saying how she one day hoped to be a famous singer. He liked her ambition, but he knew she probably wouldn't get anywhere.

Dave arrived in the cab behind Jenna's, hoisting a giant black duffel bag over his shoulder. He was short and cheery, but had a cool air about him. He had asked Josh about a nearby basketball court and whether or not food was provided in the house. Josh had just smiled and moved on to the next cab.

Only, this cab wasn't a cab. It was a limousine. Josh stood in shock and chuckled in spite of himself. The limo driver had jumped out of his side and walked swiftly to the other side. He had opened the door and a beautiful girl stepped out. She had smiled at Josh and introduced herself as Fiona Coyne. Her limo driver had grabbed her bags and walked with them into the house. Josh followed Fiona into the house. Out of all of the kids so far, she was the only one who didn't seem fazed by the extravagancy of the house.

Clare and Alli joined the rest of them in the room, smiling and laughing. Josh mentally thanked Smith, knowing that he was completely right in his theory of the two become good friends. Drew looked up at Alli and smiled at her. She caught his gaze and chewed her lip. Josh instantly felt the chemistry between the two and smiled. He knew he had gotten his cast correct after all.

Josh clapped his hands together and everyone jumped. "So, why don't we go over the rules quickly so the crew can leave and you all can get to know each other?" He said. Everyone nodded and took their seats scattered around the room. Dave sat next to Clare, who blushed furiously. Alli sat on the other side of Clare and Drew scooted over to sit next to her. Realizing the couch was full, Adam and Jenna each sat in their own chairs next to the couch. Fiona lay down on the opposite couch, her feet dangling off the ends.

"Now, Sarah called all of you to inform you that you were accepted onto the show, and she also sent you forms with all of the rules on them, correct?" He asked. Everyone nodded. "You all signed them and returned them, right?" He asked. Again, everyone nodded. Josh smiled. "Good. I'll just go over the basic rules then, to refresh your memory—" Josh was cut off by the front door being slammed open.

"Uh, sorry I'm late," The boy said. He stepped through the entryway and placed a backpack on the ground. His brushed his dark hair to the side and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out his iPod and quickly shut it off, stopping the rock music that was pouring out from the headphones that were wrapped around his neck. He stood there awkwardly while everyone in the room stared at him.

Josh was the first to speak. "Don't worry about it. I'm guessing that you're Eli?" Eli nodded. "Right, well. Just leave your bag there for now. We're just going over the basic rules," Josh said, smiling encouragingly. Eli slowly walked towards the others and mumbled something under his breath. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here. Josh hoped Eli's attitude didn't put off the rest of the cast. Fiona sat up and moved over so Eli could sit next to her. Instead, he walked to the back wall and leaned against it with his arms crossed. Fiona huffed in disappointment and resumed her previous position.

Josh cleared his throat. "As I was saying, you all should know the rules. I'm just going to repeat the major rules. First of all, the camera men go where you go. You mustn't talk to them at all. There will be cameras everywhere except for the bathrooms and bedrooms. Since you are all eighteen or older, we can use whatever you say and do onscreen, so be careful. We will edit out the extreme scenes that are inappropriate for the home viewers, but just be aware. Do not do things that you will regret," Josh paused, staring at Drew and Alli. He knew those two were the most reckless, and he wanted to get his point across.

"Secondly, you must continue to go to school while on the show. I know this is supposed to be a getaway, but your education must come first. For those of you who aren't enrolled in school," Josh looked at Eli and Fiona, "this doesn't apply to you. All of your schools have been contacted and are aware that the cameras will be with you at all times. They will not, however, go into class with you. Don't worry; your schools are all within a thirty minute commute from here." He added, taking in Clare's worried look. She visibly relaxed and Josh smiled.

"Finally, just live the way you normally would. Disregard the cameras. Disregard the crew occasionally popping by. Just be yourself! You can eat what you want, go where you want, and do what you want. You have all been selected by our casting directors because we all felt you held a special spark. Don't let that go. We just want you to be you. Okay?" He concluded, glancing around at the cast. Everyone nodded and smiled.

"Well that's it. We're going to leave now, so you all can settle in. Don't expect to see us often; we only come around every once in a while," Josh said, stepping towards the door. The rest of the crew gathered their items and rushed out the door. Eventually, it was just Josh and the cast. "Well, have fun. Don't break the rules. Live in the 'dream world'," Josh said, smiling. He gave everyone a wave and a wink, and disappeared out the door.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I only got 3 reviews the last chapter, let's try to raise the number up a little this time (:**


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